HAMILTON^ ACCOUNT OF THE HAST INDIES.

4dU

the river, the channel for flipping is on the eaft-fide, and feveral creeks run from thechannel among a great number of iflands, formed by different channels of Ganges , twoof which are more remarkable than the reft, viz. Coxes and Sagor iflands, wheregreat (hips were obliged to anchor to take in part of their cargoes, becaufe feveral placesin the river are too (hallow for great fhips to pafs over, when their whole cargoes area-board.

There are no inhabitants on thofe iflands, for they are fo peftered with tigers, thatthere could be no fecurity for human creatures to dwell on them ; nay, it is even dan-gerous to land on them, or for boats to anchor near them, for in the night they haveiwimmed to boats at anchor, and carried men out of them, yet among the Pagans ,the ifland Sagor is accounted holy, and great numbers of Jougies go yearly thither inthe months of November and December, to worfhip and wafh in falt-water, thoughmany of them fall facrifices to the hungry tigers.

The fir ft fafc anchoring place in the river, is off the mouth of a river about twelveleagues above Sagor, commonly known, by the name of Rogues river, which had thatappellation from fome banditti Portugueze, who were followers of fultan Sujah, when•Emirjemal, Aurengzeb’s general, drove that unfortunate prince out of his province of.Bengal; for thofe Portugueze having no way to fubfift, after their mafter’s flight to thekingdom of Arackan, betook themfelves to piracy among the iflands, at the mouthof Ganges , and that river having communication with all the channels from Xatigam to-the weftward, from this river they ufed to faliy out, and commit depredations on thofe-that traded in the river of Hughly.

About five leagues farther up, on the weft fide of the river of Hughly, isanother branch of the Ganges , called Ganga ; it is broader than that of Hughly, butmuch flcallower, and more encumbered with fand-banks; a little below the mouthof it the Danes have a thatched houfe, but for what reafons they kept an houfe there, Inever could learn.

Along the river of Hughly there are many fmall villages and farms, interfperfedin thofe large plains, but the firft of any note on the river’s fide, is Culculla, a mar-ket town for corn, coarfe cloth, butter, and oil, with other productions of the country ;above it is the Dutch Banklhall, a place where their fttips ride when they cannot getfarther up for the too fwift currents of the river. Culculla has a large deep river thatruns to the eaftward, and fo has Juanpardoa, and on the weft fide there is a river thatruns by the back of Hughly Ifland, which leads up to Radnagur, famous for manufac-turing cotton cloth, and filk romaals, or handkerchiefs. Buffundri and Trefindi, orGorgat and Cottrong, are on that river, which produce the greateft quantities of thebeft fugars in Bengal.

A little higher up on the eaft fide of Hughly river, is Ponjelly, a village wherea corn mart is kept once or twice in a week ; it exports more rice than any placeon this river; and five leagues farther up on the other fide, is Tanna Fort, builtto protect the trade of the river, at a place convenient enough, where it is notabove half a mile from fhore to fliore; but it never was of much ufe, for in anno•1686, when the Englifh Company quarrelled with the Mogul, the Company hadfeveral great fhips at Hughly, and this fort was manned in order to hinder theirpaffage down the river. One 60 gun fhip approaching pretty near the fort, faluted itwith a broad-fide, which fo frightened the governor and his myrmidons, that theyall deferted their port, and left their caftle to be plundered by the Englifh feamen.About a league farther up on the other fide of the river, is Governapore, where

there